Low alkali, high aluminum oxide containing glasses utilized in various display devices, including thin film transistor (TFT) television panels and touch screen devices (smart phones, tablets, etc.), require high energy input during manufacturing for melting and refining due to characteristics of the required finished glass chemistry, such as high viscosity and high melting temperature. Traditional glass batching methods involve dry mixing of the individual components prior to introduction to the furnace. There are some issues and limitations associated with such batching as described in Carty U.S. Pat. No. 7,937,969 and Carty U.S. Pat. No. 7,260,960 that are incorporated by reference herein. Batch segregation within the furnace results in inefficient and incomplete melting.
The problems of conventional glass batching methods are magnified by the chemical composition required for the technical display glass products due to the lower alkali content and higher aluminum oxide content. Thus, it is critical to improve the melting and refining processes in the furnace without changing the chemical composition specified. A possibility of achieving higher efficiency is to alter the form of the glass batch materials, such that the degree of reactivity is increased, and such as increasing the specific surface area of the materials. However, particle sizing of the batch materials is quite limited due to losses and problems caused within the furnace and sizing that is too fine causes many problems and are prone to become airborne during melting. Finer particle sizing for the raw materials also causes more entrained air to be introduced into the furnace, resulting in additional refining for bubble removal from the molten glass.